Two merchant ships were struck by aerial and maritime drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, about 70 nautical miles east of Byala, Bulgarian authorities said. The government described the incident as the first such attack on shipping in the zone.

The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical damage and sank. Its crew remained missing at the latest official update. The Palau-flagged Able caught fire; all 18 people aboard were evacuated, with two injured crew members taken for treatment and the remaining 16 brought to Varna.

The origin of the drones had not been independently established. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia, but Bulgarian officials said attribution required recovery and examination of wreckage. That allegation remains unverified.

Sources: [Bulgarian Council of Ministers](government.bg source ↗), [Bulgarian News Agency](bta.bg source ↗), and [Associated Press](apnews.com source ↗).